Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-24
ANGRY SHIPPERS.

| The Tri-City Association no food
Who has Broken Faith "a New
Organization to be Formed--A Lo-
cal Steamboat Talked of.
The Davenport Gdzette says that to
say that many of the Davenport shippers
are mad, but feebly expresses the feeling
of ndignation.which fills the minds of a
number. of members of the Tri city Ship
pers' association, while it is shared in by
many who are not members. These
shippers joined the association with the
expectation that as it was organized for
the purpose of helping the shippers of
Davenport, Rock Island and Moline gen
orally, it would be an active, energetic
| factor in business circles, and work for
the accomplish of its object. Now
over month and it has done nothing,
they say No meeting has been held since
the election of officers, and the executive
committee have not even met to name a
secretary or establish an office There
are many and earnest objections to this
condition of affairs among several classes
of shippers They went into the assoc
citation with the idea that all were to pull
together, that all might be benefited, not
that their names might assist others to
secure what they asked and then have
! those others turn about aud not only
refuse to assist them. but also place
obstacles in the way of their action.
These shippers who are still abused
propose to remedy the evil. They have
become so thoroughly out OF patience
with the Tri>city ASSOCIATION that they
are talking up another association, and it
| Will not be many weeks before they will
effect an organization of their own which
will not be temporary but permanent and
continue to look after the welfare of its
members. The object of the association
Will be the securing of Just rates on
shipments Of freight. There have been
concessions by the railroads on some
classes of freights, but first, second and
third class freights are still too high and
these shippers propose to find means TO
reduce them.
One scheme which has been iuvesliga>
ted and found to he practicable is the
purchase or charteriHg OF steamboat
about the size of the one now running to
Clinton. This can, at so small an ex-
pense as to make it profitable, be run
between Davenport and Keithsburg.
| there to connect with the Iowa Central or
with another road at some other point.
| A good steamer can be bought for about
5000, and if the shippers pull together
they can in this way get their goods from
the east at very reasonable rates.
The Gazette says:
The feeling Is growing stronger daily
in favor OF some concerted movement of
this kind. To the action of the Milwau~
| kee in giving better rate to Rock Island
and Moline than to Davenport. is attrib-
uted some of this inactivity of the present
Shippers association. To the lower
| rates that have been made on some few
articles by the other roads, more of it is
due. But others claim that ''the silfish
ness of some few in working on the plan
of each man for himself and the devil
take the hindmost" has been the prime
cause why Davenport has not attained
an importance as shipping point as
great rs Omaha, Minneapolis, St. Paul,
and other similarly situated places, as
one of them expresses it,
The ARGUS did not take much stock
in the tri-city association from the start.
There was too much mystery about it,